Filesnakes

Arafura Filesnake Acrochordus arafurae

The family Acrochordidae was created solely for the inimitable Filesnakes, representing three aquatic species in the genus Acrochordus.  Two species occur in the rivers and estuaries of northern Australia, the Arafura Filesnake (also found in New Guinea) and the Little Filesnake (ranging throughout south east Asia), whilst the third, the Javan Filesnake is restricted to south-east Asia and Indonesia.
With their strange, tiny, rasp-like scales and baggy skins, they have been given a variety of inelegant names including wart snakes and elephant-trunk snakes.  Capable of staying underwater for over two hours, they prey solely upon fish: striking out rapidly before grasping the prey in their coils.  They are non-venomous, and give birth to live young.

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